Grand coffret magnétique - Pallissandre

The English Defence (1 d4 e6 2 c4 b6) is a dynamic, counter-attacking line, initially investigated by English grandmasters. Black aims to set White difficult problems to solve at the very earliest stage of the game. Black’s play is provocative – aiming to lure White into establishing a big pawn centre. This is a risky strategy as White falls behind in development and Black switfly becomes very active. However, if White’s response is more circumspect then Black can often manoeuvre into favourable structures reminiscent of positions arising from the Nimzo-Indian Defence, the Queen’s Indian Defence or even the Dutch.

José González provides an excellent analysis of this complex opening and carves out a powerful repertoire for Black covering all lines after 1 d4. It is possible for White to avoid the "English battle" by playing either 2 Nf3 or even 2 e4 (a rare move for 1 d4 players but seen occasionally). Gonzalez champions an aggressive variant of the Dutch against 2 Nf3 and outlines a simple but effective French Defence repertoire to counter 2 e4.

• A complete repertoire for Black to counter 1 d4.
• The question and answer approach provides an excellent study method.   318 pages

In my first book I wanted to enlighten the reader on those various lines that were

less explored, and those that have been almost forgotten but were nevertheless

interesting.

However this time the book is about cutting-edge lines, which is a very

modern approach to this fascinating opening. Moreover it is important to say that

when I was writing my first book a few years ago, surprisingly, some of these current

lines simply didn’t exist, or were only discussed in a very minor way.

It is true that the Grünfeld fits in very well with the engines’ way of playing chess,

and in that sense it’s almost the perfect opening with which to implement and generate

such ideas.

Let’s have a look now at what I mean and start reading my findings!

GM Milos Pavlovic, January 2024.

Georgy Lisitsin (1909-72) was a respected Soviet master, theoretician and writer. In 1958 he published a revised edition of his most ambitious work, entitled Strategy and Tactics of Chess, which became one of the most legendary manuals in the Soviet chess school, and no doubt one of the books that motivated the young Bobby Fischer to learn Russian.

Lisitsin broke down Strategy and Tactics into their constituent elements, enabling players of all levels to study chess systematically, learning from carefully selected game fragments and studies. Key Elements of Chess Strategy and its companion volume Key Elements of Chess Tactics are the first ever complete English translations of Lisitsin's classic.

In Key Elements of Chess Strategy, Lisitsin breaks down the Foundations of Strategy into categories such as piece placement, exchanges, weaknesses and prophylaxis, followed by a section on Devising a Strategic Plan, including concepts such as blockading, undermining, the initiative, pawn chains, and planning in the opening.  Hardcover 206 pages

Seconde édition de cet excellent livre d'initiation au jeu de go, riche en exemples et en exercices. Les débutants pourront intégrer en douceur les principes et techniques du jeu et les autres joueurs pourront revoir et préciser leurs connaissances. Weidong Xie figure parmi les meilleurs joueurs de l'hexagone (5e Dan), il est aussi l'un des pédagogues les plus estimés, entraîneur du club de go de Paris et membre de la fédération française de go.

La bible du backgammon enfin disponible en français. Au backgammon, comme dans tous les grands jeux de réflexion, une position présente des forces, des faiblesses, des potentialités qu'il faut savoir reconnaître et utiliser. A cet aspect positionnel, les dés ajoutent une part d'incertitude qui rend ce jeu unique, où compréhension stratégique et maîtrise des probabilités doivent aller de conserve. Ce premier tome commence par exposer les règles, avant de présenter les concepts de base (course, holding game, blitz et primes) à travers quatre parties-types. Quelques notions simples sur les ouvertures et le videau complètent cette partie qui suffira au bonheur du joueur occasionnel. La fin du volume traite de concepts stratégiques (constructeurs, flexibilité, diversification...) et tactiques (blots forcés) nettement plus ambitieux, à aborder donc en liaison avec le second tome.